RISK! Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Young Rebels

Air Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Kevin Allison

Overview

In this throwback episode, RISK! host Kevin Allison brings together four true stories told live, revisiting youthful days of rebellion. Each storyteller unpacks moments when they challenged authority, social conventions, or just plain logic. With humor, heart, and sometimes a dose of regret, these tales look back on acts of “bucking” the status quo, from school pranks and sexual awakenings to awkward coming out moments and dangerous hazing rituals.

Main Stories and Key Discussion Points

1. Ethan Ullman – “The Amazing Adventures of Ethan and the Lunch Monkey”

[05:00–18:02]

• Setting: High school cafeteria, early 2000s
• Premise: Ethan, a straight-laced student, details how a grudge against the mean lunch monitor, Ms. Harold, spirals into a series of escalating pranks involving sabotaged salads and the ongoing nickname “lunch monkey.”
• Pranks Include:
  • Pringles cans filled with unexpected liquids left for others to kick
  • Crafting disintegrating salad containers for the lunch monitor to clean up
• Retaliation: Ms. Harold accuses Ethan and his friend John of harassment. Faced with a potential expulsion, they ingeniously invent a cover story: they're comic book creators working on “The Adventures of Lunch Monkey,” a totally fictitious tale about a monkey chef at an army base.
• Interrogation Scene:
  • Principal and a police officer bring them in; John presents a hastily drawn “comic.”
  • The principal and officer are amused and accept their story, but Ms. Harold does not.
• Aftermath: Ethan escapes punishment but later learns, upon losing his virginity, that his partner’s aunt is ... Ms. Harold.
• Reflection: Ethan feels guilt over his youthful mischief, realizing Ms. Harold was just doing her job.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “So instead of lunch monitor, she was now lunch monkey.” – Ethan Ullman [06:43]
  • “We are developing a story called The Adventures of Lunch Monkey. ... The plot: the monkey escapes from a traveling circus, and he ends up at an army base. ... the army general goes, 'That’s a lunch monkey.'” – Ethan Ullman [10:45]
  • “I got with a real niece of a lunch monkey.” – Ethan Ullman [17:05]

2. Katie Frame (of Reformed Whores)

[18:41–33:23]

• Theme: Sexual ignorance and self-discovery in a shame-burdened home
• Premise: Katie candidly recounts her journey from sexual confusion (thanks to unhelpful parental advice) to discovering pleasure on her own.
• Key Moments:
  • As a child, her mother’s evasive stock answer for all taboo topics: “Once, and I didn’t like it.”
  • An openly illustrated children’s book confusingly ends with an image of two fully clothed humans, teaching her more about what isn't discussed.
  • Sneaky exploration with a friend leads to finding her mom’s copy of “The Joy of Sex,” sparking her curiosity.
  • Discovery of her parents’ back massager unlocks a world of sexual pleasure—until it mysteriously disappears.
  • Inventive attempts to replicate the sensation using household appliances and a toy motor.
  • Parental silence and implied shame after each discovery.
  • Relief when a friend finally mentions masturbation during Truth or Dare, freeing her from guilt.
• Reflection: Katie urges parents to talk openly with their kids about sex to spare them needless shame and embarrassment.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Mom, have you ever given a blowjob to anyone?—I didn't like it.” – Katie Frame [18:48]
  • “I was so horny and I needed to find something to replace the—so I went on a hunt for anything that vibrated.” – Katie Frame [24:06]
  • “A little bit of embarrassment right now is nothing compared to the world of embarrassment you’re going to face after your kids start making a living talking about sex.” – Katie Frame [32:27]
• Memorable Moment: Katie’s inventive, and sometimes dangerous, use of household objects as makeshift vibrators is both hilarious and poignant.

3. Ben Lerman – “Intense Friendships at the Bus Depot”

[34:21–46:09]

• Setting: Indiana and a road trip to a Grateful Dead show
• Premise: Ben, raised in a “loose” Orthodox Jewish family, goes on a slightly illicit trip after prom, hiding the truth from his parents.
• Central Conflict: He realizes mid-trip that he left a VHS tape of gay pornography—“Bus Depot”—in the family VCR, sparking panic over parental discovery.
• Actions Taken:
  • Pulls off the highway to call his mom from a payphone, fabricates a story about bullies “planting” the tape to frame him as gay.
  • His mother seems to buy the story but later, Ben discovers she watched the tape and wasn’t shocked.
  • He eventually comes out officially before leaving for a year abroad, appreciating his family’s support (and wry humor).
• Reflection: Ben’s story highlights the elaborate mental gymnastics (and unnecessary shame) that can surround LGBTQ identity in youth, especially within insular communities.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “There are these kids at school that think I’m gay. And they planted a tape in my car. … and it was pornography. It was homosexual pornography.” – Ben Lerman [40:50]
  • “My mom answered, and I was relieved … She said, ‘Well, have a nice time at Cedar Point!’” – Ben Lerman [41:55]
  • “Did you watch Bus Depot?” – Ben
    “No, I was kind of turned on.” – Ben’s mom [45:25]

4. Rob Lathan

[46:25–56:10]

• Theme: College hazing, self-destruction, and the quest for meaning
• Premise: Rob, nicknamed “Gump,” becomes the unofficial champion of extreme fraternity hazing at UNC, drinking dangerous amounts during an initiation event.
• Key Moments:
  • Undergoes abusive hazing involving Cisco, a potent liqueur, and copious vomiting.
  • Friends watch as Rob passes out, turns blue, and is rushed to hospital—completely naked after his boxers rip in the ER parking lot.
  • Achieves a record-breaking 0.607 BAC, earning a new nickname: “607.”
  • Marvels at the pride his peers (wrongly) attach to drinking endurance, and later must attend rehab, learning just how close to death he came.
  • Encounters addicts in rehab who remind him how messed up his own story is—“Damn, son, that’s fucked up.” [54:00]
• Reflection: Rob admits he didn’t have a dramatic rock-bottom turnaround but eventually stops binge drinking. He’s left still searching for life’s meaning, referencing the cryptic words he uttered upon waking: “Where is the world?”
• Notable Quotes:
  • “The brothers took me to the hospital, carried me in—completely nude and blue.” – Rob Lathan [50:22]
  • “You hear?” – Dr. Raj, to Rob, indicating he’d drunk literally off the chart [53:08]
  • “I still don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m still fucking clueless. I’m still searching…where is the world?” – Rob Lathan [55:57]

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• [06:43] “So instead of lunch monitor, she was now lunch monkey.” – Ethan
• [10:45] “We are developing a story called The Adventures of Lunch Monkey…” – Ethan
• [17:05] “I got with a real niece of a lunch monkey.” – Ethan
• [18:48] “Mom, have you ever given a blowjob to anyone?—I didn't like it.” – Katie
• [24:06] “I was so horny and I needed to find something to replace the—so I went on a hunt for anything that vibrated.” – Katie
• [32:27] “A little bit of embarrassment right now is nothing compared to…” – Katie
• [40:50] “There are these kids at school that think I’m gay. And they planted a tape…” – Ben
• [45:25] “Did you watch Bus Depot?” “No, I was kind of turned on.” – Ben and his Mom
• [50:22] “The brothers took me to the hospital…completely nude and blue.” – Rob
• [53:08] “You hear?” – Dr. Raj to Rob
• [54:00] “Damn son, that’s fucked up.” – Darrell, Rob’s rehab cohort
• [55:57] “Where is the world?” – Rob

Episode Flow

• [02:07] Kevin Allison opens with the episode theme—stories of youthful rebellion.
• [05:00–18:02] Ethan Ullman’s cafeteria prank saga.
• [18:41–33:23] Katie Frame’s sexual awakening, shame, and self-acceptance.
• [34:21–46:09] Ben Lerman’s coming out detour involving a VHS tape.
• [46:25–56:10] Rob Lathan’s infamous hazing incident and existential epiphany.
• [57:42] Kevin closes the episode with a reminder to “Take a risk.”

Takeaways

• Youthful Rebellion is Complex: RISK! uses humor and confession to explore the confusing, fraught path to self-realization.
• Secrets and Shame: Whether it’s pranking a lunch lady, hiding masturbation, or closeted sexuality, secrets are a universal part of growing up.
• Storytelling as Catharsis: These tales blend regret, pride, and laughter, showing that confronting the past can be liberating—and a reminder that everyone, even comedians, has a “young rebel” within.